A Modeling-Based Design to Engineering Protein Hydrogels with Random Copolymers

ACS Nano ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annalisa Cardellini ◽  
Felipe Jiménez-Ángeles ◽  
Pietro Asinari ◽  
Monica Olvera de la Cruz
Author(s):  
Afzana Anwer ◽  
S. Eilidh Bedford ◽  
Richard J. Spontak ◽  
Alan H. Windle

Random copolyesters composed of wholly aromatic monomers such as p-oxybenzoate (B) and 2,6-oxynaphthoate (N) are known to exhibit liquid crystalline characteristics at elevated temperatures and over a broad composition range. Previous studies employing techniques such as X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) have conclusively proven that these thermotropic copolymers can possess a significant crystalline fraction, depending on molecular characteristics and processing history, despite the fact that the copolymer chains possess random intramolecular sequencing. Consequently, the nature of the crystalline structure that develops when these materials are processed in their mesophases and subsequently annealed has recently received considerable attention. A model that has been consistent with all experimental observations involves the Non-Periodic Layer (NPL) crystallite, which occurs when identical monomer sequences enter into register between adjacent chains. The objective of this work is to employ electron microscopy to identify and characterize these crystallites.


1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey V. Dobrynin ◽  
Igor Ya. Erukhimovich

1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 1241-1253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey V. Dobrynin

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 2091
Author(s):  
Daniela Mileva ◽  
Jingbo Wang ◽  
René Androsch ◽  
Katalee Jariyavidyanont ◽  
Markus Gahleitner ◽  
...  

Propylene-based random copolymers with either ethylene or 1-hexene as comonomer, produced using a metallocene catalyst, were studied regarding their crystallization behaviors, with a focus on rapid cooling. To get an impression of processing effects, fast scanning chip calorimetry (FSC) was used in addition to the characterization of the mechanical performance. When comparing the comonomer type and the relation to commercial grades based on Ziegler–Natta-type catalysts, both an interaction with the catalyst-related regio-defects and a significant difference between ethylene and 1-hexene was observed. A soluble-type nucleating agent was found to modify the behavior, but to an increasingly lesser degree at high cooling rates.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1656
Author(s):  
Carla Huerta-López ◽  
Jorge Alegre-Cebollada

Biomaterials are dynamic tools with many applications: from the primitive use of bone and wood in the replacement of lost limbs and body parts, to the refined involvement of smart and responsive biomaterials in modern medicine and biomedical sciences. Hydrogels constitute a subtype of biomaterials built from water-swollen polymer networks. Their large water content and soft mechanical properties are highly similar to most biological tissues, making them ideal for tissue engineering and biomedical applications. The mechanical properties of hydrogels and their modulation have attracted a lot of attention from the field of mechanobiology. Protein-based hydrogels are becoming increasingly attractive due to their endless design options and array of functionalities, as well as their responsiveness to stimuli. Furthermore, just like the extracellular matrix, they are inherently viscoelastic in part due to mechanical unfolding/refolding transitions of folded protein domains. This review summarizes different natural and engineered protein hydrogels focusing on different strategies followed to modulate their mechanical properties. Applications of mechanically tunable protein-based hydrogels in drug delivery, tissue engineering and mechanobiology are discussed.


Author(s):  
Haiyan Zheng ◽  
Baoqi Zuo

This article reviews the current status of the preparation, properties and application of functional silk protein hydrogels.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document